Effect of Fuel Additive on Emissions, Power, and Torque in Diesel Internal Combustion Engine

Abstract The paper deals with the effects of fuel additive on the performance parameters and emissions of a diesel engine. Experimental measurements were carried out on a Renault Alaskan 2.3 dCi vehicle with 96,500 km mileage, using a MAHA MSR500/3 dynamometer and a MAHA MET MGT 6.3 exhaust gas analyser. The tests compared power, torque, and emissions (CO, CO 2 , HC, NO 2 , smoke opacity) when using pure diesel fuel and diesel with additive in a 1 : 1000 ratio. The results showed a statistically significant improvement in performance characteristics: average power increased by 11.4% (from 87.41 kW to 97.34 kW) and torque by 14.2% (from 315.30 Nm to 360.19 Nm), with the maximum difference in the mid-range rpm (2000–3000 min −1 ). Emissions showed a reduction in CO₂ (by 6.6%) and NO 2 (by 10.3%), but the HC content increased almost threefold. Differences in CO and smoke opacity were at the measurement error threshold. The statistical analysis (two-sample t- test) confirmed the high significance of the results ( p -values <0.05). The conclusions point to a complex effect of the additive, including an influence on the fuel system and turbocharger, which led to more efficient combustion manifested by higher performance and an altered emission profile.